Thompson Family Records

Thompson Family Records Letters Letter written by Isabell Thompson to David Swain who was her "foster son." Copied by E. Goehring. Original owned by Charles Swain, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Isabell was married to Job, one of Abel's sons. Leaboeuff Township, Erie County state of Penn. August 8, 1830 Dear son and daughter: I once more take my pen in hand to write to you to inform you we are all middling well in health at present for which I desire to be truly thankfull to the giver of every good and perfect gift and hope that these few lines may find you all enjoying health and peace. I am not so healthy as I was when we was out to see you. I had a long spell of sickness last fall and a return of the same complaint last spring. I did not expect to be alive now but the Lord was mercyfull to me in spearing my unprofitable life. Dear son I have looked for you out here according to your promise a long time but have give it up. I have not had a line from you sence we came home. We heard you had left your home and gone near Barny‑gat to live. I now conclude that we shall meet no more in this vail of teares. But oh my son we must meet at the Judgement seat of Christ there to give an account of the deeds done in the body and my desire and prayer to the Lord is that we may prepare to meet our god while the day of grace lasts. Rest not without an interest in the precious blood of Christ and the Lord in mercy grant we may all be so happy as to meet on the peacefull shore of Canan, is the desire and prayer of your affectionate Mother. Reuben and John is marryed and settled near home. John has one daughter. Henry has one son and 2 daughters. Samuel has one son sence we came home. Thomas is working for himself and Elizabeth is teaching school this summer and last and we have none left at home but Isabell and Josiah. We still live at the old place. Please to write to us the first opportunity. No more at present but our love to you all and remain your well wishingFather and Mother Job and Isabell Thompson Excerpt from letter to Mrs. Ada Hill of North East, Pennsylvania from C.M. Thompson of Warren, Ohio, dated February 17, 1924 ...I will now try to answer what you asked for, what information I could give you concerning the occupation of the old stock of Thompsons. I will give you all I know. My grandfather was a blacksmith. Uncle Joel was agent for a patent testing water wheel when I knew him. Caleb was a farmer, I think. Job, I do not know...Excerpt from Letter to Mrs. Ada Hill of North East Pennsylvania from L.W. Dickson of Tonawanda, New York, dated October 16, 1939. Dear Cousin: When I promised to send you the item about our ancestor I thought all I had to do was inclose it in an envelope as soon as I came home, and mail it to you. Unfortunately I had taken it from the letter box where I had kept it for years, intending to put it in my steel treasure chest. It must be that I mixed it with other papers and put it into a folio from which I intend to make a scrap-book. Well, I searched this place over the second time before I gave it up for lost. Saturday I took down the folio and found it. I could have told you when I saw you that the original Abel was not a soldier but a gunsmith in the Revolution, but that ought not make any difference in his being classified as a veteran. All workers behind the lines are entitled to be called members of the army. The man who makes the guns is quite as important as the man who uses them. What I thought my old paper would reveal was the locality where he enlisted, but all it gives is Burlington County, New Jersey. I don't know whether a gunsmith would be easily traced, but it might be worth trying... Legal Documents Copy of Marriage Certificate of Abel Thompson I and Jemima Kemp State of New Jersey By William HoughCounty of Burlington of the Justice of Peace S.S. in and for the County aforesaid SEAL To all to whom these presents shall come, or may hereafter concern, Greeting, Know ye that in Springfield in the county aforesaid on the twenty‑eighth day of September, one thousand seven hundred and seventy‑eight, by virtue of a license of Marriage from his Excellency, William Livingstone ‑ Esquire Governor of the State aforesaid‑‑‑Abel Thompson and Jemima Kemp‑ parties in the recited license named were joined together in the holy bonds of matrimony and by me pronounced man and wife in the presence of and before the witnesses whose names are hereunto subscribed in testimony where of I have here unto set my hand and seal the day and year before written Wm. HoughThomas Wallen Sarah ThompsonWill of Abel Thompson Erie Gazette July 30, 1840‑Thursday Died in Union Township, July 3, 1840 Abel Thompson, aged 63 years Will.....Abel Thompson Will Book A, pp. 223‑225 Residence.....Union Township Drawn....February 20, 1834 Registered....October 10, 1840 Revolutionary Soldier Heirs: Son: Robert; son, Charles K; daughter Sarah Boyles (Boylan) Wife: Tamar Exrs: Wife and son Charles K. Witnesses: Ebenezer Thomas, Hugh Wilson File No. 14141 Name: Thompson, Abel Death: Place: Exrs: Tamar Thompson Proceedings: Vol. 9, p. 68, bk 2 Abel Thompson’s WillIn the name of God ‑ Amen. I, Abel Thompson in the township of Union in the County of Erie and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, being of sound mind and memory, do make and ordain this last will and testament in form following‑viz.First it is my will and I bequeath to my youngest son, Robert Gray, all my lands and real estate of which I may die possessed; but if my said son, Robert, should die without heir, then it is my will that my said real estate shall descend and become the property of my son Charles K. (Kemp). But it is my will and I bequeath to my son Caleb the sum oftwenty‑five dollars and I do (als?) to the point of my sons as they each own on early (?) bequest to each the sum or sums which they respectfully owe or may owe to me at the time of my demise, and as to my personal property it is my will that my loving wife, Tamar, have the use of it for the purpose of raising and education my youngest son Robert Gray until he arrives at the age of twenty years and it is my will that when he arrives at the age of twenty my personal property aforesaid or what may then remain after shall be his. Fourth it is my will and I bequeath to my daughter, Sarah Boylan, the sum of one dollar and lastly I nominate and appoint my said wife and my son Charles Kemp afterward to be Executors of my last will removing all the other wills and declaring this to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have been upon set my hand this twentieth day of Feb. A.D. 1834. Abel ThompsonSigned, sealed ‑ published and declared by the said testators as the last will and testament in the pursurance of as who in his presence and at his prospect have subscribed as witnesses. Hugh Wilson Ebenezer Thomas Registrars Office Erie Co. Tamar Thompson duly sworn according to laws doth depose and say that as Executrix of the last will and testament of Abel Thompson demanded she will (will) and truly administering the goods and chatels, rights and credits of said deceased according to laws and will dilligently and faithfully regard and (still) truly comply with the provisions of the laws relating to the colleterals inheritance. Tamar T. Thompson her mark Subscribed the 10th day of Oct. A.D. 1840 before me, Moorhead, RegistryCensus Information 1820 Federal Census, Erie Co. Pa. Union Township Caleb Thompson, head of householdm. 1 (10‑16) 1 (26‑45) f. 3 (1‑10) 1 (16‑26) 1 in agricultureCensus of 1850, Taken September 7, 1850 Caleb Thompson, sixth child of Abel K and Jemima Kemp Thompson. Married Marinda and Clarissa. Caleb 60 Farmer 2000 acres New Jersey 1790‑1863. Nelson 26 Clothier Pennsylvania 1824 Charles 16 Pennsylvania 1834 Darwin 7 Pennsylvania 1843 Almont 4 Pennsylvania 1846 Clarissa 45 CN 1805 Peter 19 Laborer PA 1831 Almira 14 PA 1836 Caleb W. 6 PA 1844 Sarah 1 NY 18491849 Will ‑ Caleb Thompson Will Book C, pp. 608‑812. Residence: Union Mills Borough Registered ‑ October 29, 1863.Census of 1850 Taken September 7, 1850 Joel Thompson, fifth child of Abel K and Jemima (Kemp) Thompson, married Mary Mulvin. Joel 63 Farmer New Jersery 1788 Caleb 25 Farmer 50 acres PA 1825 Joel H. 17 PA 1833 Mary 55 Ireland 1795 John 22 Laborer 165 acres PA 1828 Lucialla 12 1838 Union City, Erie Co. Pa., April 8, 1879 Executor's Notice The undersigned having been duly appointed executors of the estate of Robert Gray, deceased, late of Union City, Erie Co., Pa., hereby give notice to all person indebted to said estate to make immediate payment; and all person having claims against said estate will present them at once to the undersigned at Union City, Pa., for settlement. James S. Thompson, J.J. Lyons, Executors Presbyterian Church RecordVo. 2, NO. 12 Chicago, March 1893 Church Membership List of Union City Presbyterian Church Reverend E.P. Clark , Editor Andrew and Lydia Thompson, Jas S., Josephine E. and Herbert Thompson Harley S. and Inez Thompson In August 1864 Andrew Thompson and James S. Thompson were among the members applying to the Erie County Court for articles of incorporation for the Presbyterian Church in Union City. (An excerpt from the Articles of Incorporation of the Presbyterian Church at Union Mills) Whereas the following named persons of this Commonwealth_____Robert Gray, Richard Shreve, John Gray, Andrew Thompson, F.A. Marsh, P.G. Porter, E.M. Jones, Wm. Black and David Wilson have together with other citizens associated for the purpose of worshipping the Almighty God according to faith, order and discipline of the Presbyterian Church as will appear by the following articles of association and have for that purpose formed a congregation at the Borough of Union Mills in the county of Erie and State of Penna. and are now desirous to be incorporated agreeably to the provisions of the act of assembly of Penna..The Methodist ThompsonsThe old Methodist Church was built in 1839 and funds for building it were raised by subscription. In 1886, the old building stood on High Street and for the past twenty years or more had been used for the town hall. On August 19, 1886 Gary Smith brought in the original subscription paper of 1839 and showed it to the editors of the Union City Times. The old paper contained the names of many leading men of the community of the time and the amount of money they gave. As subscribers they agreed to pay the sums set to their names "for the purposes of building a Methodist Meeting House at Union Mills, on a piece of ground given by Wm. Miles for that purpose." They agreed to pay one half of the subscription money within six months from May 14, 1839, and the balance within one year from the date. Those pledging lumber or other material for the meeting house promised to furnish them when notified that such materials were wanted. The subscribers paid the trustees of the church who were bound to build the church according to the Methodist form of discipline. The subscription list looked like this: Union Mills, May 14, 1839 Subscribers Names Levi Barnes $30.00Caleb Thompson 50.00Wm. P. Squire 5.00Charles Burrows 20.00James Thompson 10.00Timothy Clark 1.00William Fuller 10.00Richard Shreve 2.00Joseph Townsend 20.00William Mansfield 20.00Moses Smiley 25.00Chas. C. Burrows 10.00Noyes White 25.00Sam D. Jones 10.00Calvin Barnes 12.00David P. Darrow 3.00Abram Tourtellott 50.00Jerry Clark 30.00John M. Mills 20.00Abram Emerson 5.00Ezra Steenrod 10.00Joel Thompson 5.00Josiah Thompson 2.50Wilson Gourdniter 5.00Samuel Gill 10.00E.D. Ransom 20.00John S. Coe 20.00Wm. H. Thompson 15.00Wm. J. Thompson 10.00Robert Smiley 10.00Milton Spaulding 5.00Betsy Thompson 5.00 In August 1886, only four of the subscribers were still alive. They were: John S. Coe, Robert Smiley, William H. Thompson and Josiah Thompson. A quick look at the subscribers list will reveal the deep involvement of the Thompsons and their relatives in the beginnings of the Methodist Church in Union City as well as the Presbyterian Church. Josiah Thompson was the son of Job and Isabel Thompson. William J. Thompson was the son of Joel and Mary Mulvin Thompson. Betsey Thompson was the wife of Samuel S. Thompson, the son of Job and Isabel Thompson. Joel and Mary Mulvin Thompson 's daughter Jane Jemima married David Coe. John S. Coe was probably David's father. Caleb Thompson, Abel's son, did not die until 1863 so it was probable that he was the subscriber here and not his namesakes. The other two Thompsons, William H. and James Thompson, are a little harder to trace. James could be the son of Sarah Bracken and John Thompson, in the Andrew Thompson line. The Presbyterian Session Records reveal that a James Thompson and his wife Mical Ann left the Presbyterian Church to join another denomination in 1857. This James was Andrew Thompson's son and was born in 1838, baptized in the Presbyterian Church in 1839, so it probably wasn't him. It could have been his father, though, because Andrew had a brother named James, who was born in about 1814. And in 1857 James and his wife, according to the Session records, "have declared their preference for another ecclesiastical body." There is a William H. Thompson who is the grandson of Caleb Thompson, and son of Charles C. Thompson. But he wasn't born until 1850. There is a William in the Andrew Thompson line who was born about 1812. His age matches better